Media Advisory: The Steve Fund and Kaiser Permanente Host Summit Addressing Mental Health Needs of Community College Students

On December 5, 2018, in Oakland, California, The Steve Fund and Kaiser Permanente are proactively addressing the mental health needs of community college students by convening a working group of community college leaders, investors, social innovators, and mental health experts to develop real-time, real-world technological solutions for community college students, with a particular focus on students of color.

The Steve Fund is the nation’s only nonprofit organization focused on promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of college and university students of color. It works with colleges and universities, students, non-profit organizations, researchers, practitioners, and with groups serving diverse populations. For more information on the Steve Fund, please visit: https://www.stevefund.org.

The Steve Fund and the University of Texas at Austin Host Young, Gifted, & @ Risk 2018

Conference is the largest national gathering of mental health experts and educators focused on the mental health needs of college and university students of color.

AUSTIN, TX (November 14, 2018) – Today, the Steve Fund and the University of Texas at Austin are hosting the 5th Annual Young, Gifted & @ Risk conference, which will bring together nearly 450 behavioral health providers, students, higher education officials, community members and families to address the critical mental health needs of college and university students of color.

The Steve Fund is the nation’s only nonprofit organization focused on promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of college and university students of color. The annual conference will feature experts who will speak to cutting-edge issues such as:

“We are thrilled to have so much participation from our colleagues in Texas, the South, and from across the country for our fifth annual Young, Gifted & @ Risk conference,” said Evan Rose, President of the Steve Fund. “Moving the needle toward equity in mental health is no light lift, but we are consistently humbled by the excellent work of so many committed clinicians, administrators, faculty members, and students advancing the mental health of students and young people of color across the nation.”

Steve Fund experts, senior staff and consultants, board members, and Youth Advisory Board members are available for interviews before, during, and after the conference.

The Steve Fund is the nation’s only non-profit organization focused on promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of college and university students of color. It works with colleges and universities, students, non-profits, researchers, practitioners, and with groups serving diverse populations. It aims to stimulate dialogue and to promote effective programs and strategies that build understanding and assistance regarding the mental health and emotional well-being of the nation’s students of color as they enter, matriculate in, and transition from higher education. Learn more athttps://www.stevefund.org.

A recent research letter published in May of 2018 in JAMA Pediatrics entitled “Age-Related Racial Disparity in Suicide Rates Among U.S. Youths From 2001 Through 2015,” asserted that the suicide rates among black children, aged 5 to 11 years old, increased from 1993 to 1997 and from 2008 to 2012. While this finding was upsetting, the results are misleading and need to be explained.

The reality is that completed suicide is a very rare event. Overall suicide rates in the U.S. usually are 11 people per 100,000 people and for adolescents the suicide rates are a bit higher, 20 people per 100,000 people. One suicide is one too many, but in order to form public health prevention and intervention strategies, things need to be put in perspective.

For example, 20,000 out of 100,000 people get depressed, and about 5,000 out of 100,000 people attempt suicide, yet the actual deaths from suicide range from 11 to 20 per 100,000 people. Therefore, how does a public health response system identify those 11 to 20 people who are at risk for completing suicide out of the 20,000 people who are depressed or out of the 5,000 people who attempt suicide? It is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Accordingly, the JAMA research letter reported that ‘the rates for African-American children rose from 1.36 to 2.54 per million and decreased among European-American children from 1.14 to 0.77 per million.’ The denominator is so large and the numerator is so small that there is virtually no difference in these numbers and statistics. The problem is that these rates are so low, even if there is a legitimate increase; suicide is a very rare event. So, technically, there was an increase in African-American youth suicides, but practically there has been no change.

A lesson from the Institute of Medicine’s report, “Reducing Suicide: A National Imperative”, was that something must be protecting the 19,980 youth who were depressed but did not complete suicide and the 4,980 youth who attempted, but did not complete suicide. Further, if we could increase the protective factors surrounding people at risk we might be able to lower suicide rates.

Shortly after the “Reducing Suicide” report was published, the U.S. was experiencing a “rise” in college suicides. As mental health treatments improved the outcomes of youths with mental illness, they were able to complete high school and attend college. Unfortunately, many colleges were ill-prepared to deal with students who needed mental health treatment at a time when traditional psychiatric support was limited.

Preventing risk factors from becoming predictive factors by using protective factors is one pathway to pursue. Decades of research on risk and protective factors for problems like violence, drug use, and other self-destructive behaviors have revealed seven guiding principles that can be extremely protective: 1) social fabric; 2) connectedness; 3) modern technology; 4) social and emotional skills; 5) activities that increase a sense of power, models, and uniqueness (i.e. self-esteem); 6) adult protective shield; and 7) the ability to minimize trauma.

People can be very emotional at times however, if they are surrounded by family, friends, neighbors, etc., they get influenced by informal social controls and behave in an appropriate manner. Some things are just not socially acceptable, but if people are shunned by social contacts and isolated, there is little to guide them and help them control their impulses and drives. So, one major recommendation is for learning institutions to foster connectedness and be inclusive and not exclude anyone. Modern technology in the form of digital communication and social media can facilitate connectedness when used appropriately.

Having social and emotional skills to resolve conflicts or have hard conversations with people guards against adversity and prevents people from engaging in rash or unhealthy behaviors. Self-esteem (a sense of power, models, and uniqueness) also buffers people from adversity. Accordingly, giving young people a sense of purpose and accomplishment is protective.

Adult protective shield is also protective against suicidal behavior. If a person was getting counseled for feelings of depression, it would make sense for a responsible adult to restrict their means of self harm, e.g. removing a loaded gun from the home.

Lastly, minimizing trauma is protective. It is not the stress, distress, or traumatic stress that are damaging to the human spirit, rather, it is the helplessness in confronting stressors that does damage. Helping people turn learned helplessness into learned helpfulness is a great way to combat stress and help people to be resilient.

It is very doubtful science and psychiatry will be able to identify the rare suicidal individual who will complete suicide, but we will continue to try. By adding protective factors to people’s lives, we can give them a better chance at thriving and flourishing.

Carl C. Bell,M.D., D.L.F.A.P.A.,is a professor of psychiatry and public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Bell is a National Institute of Mental Health international researcher, an author of more than 575 books, chapters, and articles addressing issues of violence prevention, HIV prevention, isolated sleep paralysis, misdiagnosis of Manic depressive illness, and children exposed to violence.[1][2][3][4] Bell is the former President/C.E.O. of the Community Mental Health Council, Inc.[5] a large not-for-profit community mental health centers in the U.S. He is also the Director of the Institute for Juvenile Research (Birthplace of Child Psychiatry) at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a staff psychiatrist at Jackson Park Hospital and Medical Center on Chicago’s Southside.

College Students Of Color: Overcoming Mental Health Challenges

By Annelle B. Primm, M.D., MPH Jul. 16, 2018

July is Minority Mental Health Month which provides an ideal opportunity to talk about the mental health of young people of color. Our country is becoming more and more diverse—the proportion of children of color are projected to become the majority by 2020 and people of color are expected to make up the majority of the U.S. population by 2045. It’s crucial that we pay attention to the mental health of young people of color as they become the future of our nation.

Mental illness affects young people of color at similar rates as white young adults. However, they are less likely to be diagnosed or seek mental health services. This is largely due to stigma and a cultural mistrust of mental health professionals who lack cultural competence.

Not seeking needed mental health care is problematic for this (and any) population—but especially for college-aged people of color. Because 75% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 24, college is a time during which many mental illnesses first appear. Coping with an untreated mental illness can affect a student’s social experience and academic performance. And for students of color, there’s often more under the surface working against them.

How Discrimination Affects Mental Health

The social determinants of mental health include factors such as where people are born, live and work as well as their age. They also include things such as discrimination and exclusion, socioeconomic status and access to health care.

Some colleges and universities have recently become settings of discrimination, racial profiling and xenophobia. Universities that create these feelings of marginalization and isolation can be harmful to mental health, and for students of color who have a pre-existing mental illness, such acts of alienation can actually worsen their condition.

Many of us grew up hearing the adage: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me.” Dr. Altha Stewart, who, in May 2018, became the first African-American President of the American Psychiatric Association, stated recently that “this old saying is incorrect and the truth is that negative words, can be damaging to mental health, especially for young people.”

Racially hateful expressions broadcasted on social media or communicated face-to-face are harmful to the mental health and well-being of college students of color. This is especially true when cyber-based comments are anonymous. Not knowing if comments are coming from a classmate or someone living next door in the dorm can be frightening and anxiety-provoking.

Colleges and universities should create environments in which young people of color are valued. This can be done by recruiting and retaining a diverse staff and faculty; establishing zero-tolerance policies to racist actions; and developing and maintaining cultural supports, such as culturally-themed clubs, dorms and diverse student identity groups.

Annelle B. Primm, M.D., MPH is currently senior medical adviser to the Steve Fund, and senior psychiatrist adviser to Hope Health Systems and several other organizations. During her career, Dr. Primm has been Deputy Medical Director of the American Psychiatric Association; Director of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Community Psychiatry Program; an editor of the books, Disparities in Psychiatric Careand Women in Psychiatry: Personal Perspectives; and a lecturer and video producer on the mental health of diverse and underserved populations.

By: Anuja Khemka, Executive Director

As an organization dedicated to the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color, the Steve Fund is extremely concerned about recent incidents at colleges and universities where college students of color have been racially profiled and subjected to harsh consequences. We recognize that when racial profiling is not acknowledged, the health impacts can be wide ranging.

It’s clear that students of color experience a variety of difficult situations which can contribute to greater psychological distress, especially when they’re victims of microaggressions and racism. The incidents at Yale and Colorado State University are not only examples of racial profiling, but also examples of how there’s been a recent string of white people calling the cops on people of color for minor incidents. These incidents also highlight how racial profiling can have a negative impact on college students of color, because it can make them feel as if they have no real way to effectively respond or handle the situation, which, as a result, could lead to poor academic performance, feeling distraught and hopeless, and even becoming depressed.

Difficulties posed by these circumstances may be worsened when students lack a supportive social network and face barriers to seeking help, which is why it’s critical that we continue to talk about these issues and offer support for these students.

The Steve Fund has focused its efforts on reducing the risks that students of color face and removing the barriers to seeking help, before, during, and after college. In partnership with the JED Foundation, the Steve Fund has established an Equity in Mental Health Framework with a set of recommendations to support the mental health of college students of color, such as increasing diversity of faculty and staff, making resources that support the mental health of students of color available and publicizing them, and gathering data to increase understanding about how to meet students’ mental health needs.

However, this is just a start. More research, population-specific supports, and attention to campus climate are needed to improve college life so that all students can thrive

The Power of Self Care

Maintaining mental health and emotional well-being is a daily practice, and springtime is a great opportunity to renew our commitment to that discipline. Across the Steve Fund’s work with students, staff & faculty, and parents & families across the country, many students share their self care tips, but many others still see self care as indulgent or unproductive. Nothing could be further from the truth. Self care is how we cultivate the potent habit of treating ourselves well –both physically and mentally. This month’s newsletter outlines some resources we hope you’ll find helpful in maintaining your own self carepractice and to share with your peers as the school year marches on.